FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Silica aerogels and highly porous xerogels are effective thermal insulation. Unfortunately the preparation of these materials is both time consuming and costly. The preparation of wet silica gels which can be effectively dried either supercritically or under atmospheric pressure has both time consuming and expensive steps. For example, washing the necessary amount of water out of the gel to prepare for drying makes the procedure both time consuming and expensive. As a result of such problems, silica aerogels and xerogels have not yet reached full commercial effectiveness.
It would be beneficial to have a process that would decrease the amount of time needed for the preparation of a wet silica gel which can be dried either supercritically or under atmospheric pressure. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a process. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for a wet gel having a high organic solvent content thereby, making it easier and faster to eliminate the water that is detrimental to the gel drying process. It is another object to furthermore, make this gel with an inexpensive silica source. It is a further object of the present invention to have a wet gel preparation method that would allow the production of aerogels and xerogels having a finer pore structure. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description that follows.